McLaren have been summoned to appear before the FIA world motor sport council where they may face draconian punishment for allegedly persuading the world champion, Lewis Hamilton, to lie before a meeting of stewards following the ­Australian grand prix 10 days ago.

The team yesterday announced they had sacked Dave Ryan, their sporting director, who had worked for McLaren for 35 years and was at the centre of the controversy. Ryan was not commenting .

The hearing threatens to damage the close personal relationship between ­Hamilton and the McLaren directors Ron ­Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh, both of whom helped steer the British driver's rise to stardom from a teenage kart racer.

Whitmarsh, who took over as team principal from Dennis at the beginning of March, has already apologised for letting Hamilton down over the affair and the driver offered a wide-ranging apology during the Malaysian grand prix.

On the last occasion McLaren faced such a hearing they were penalised with a £50m fine and lost all their constructors' championship points for the 2007 season. On that occasion they were found guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute after evidence showed they had been illegally in possession of Ferrari design data.

The FIA has again invoked article 151C to summon McLaren to the hearing ­accusing them of "fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally."

Essentially the governing body will review detailed evidence and supporting documentation which they believe show that on 29 March Ryan told the ­stewards at the Australian grand prix that no instructions had been given to Hamilton to allow Jarno Trulli's Toyota to pass him when both cars were behind the safety car, knowing that statement to be untrue. Trulli was initially given a 25-second penalty and Hamilton promoted to third. After the second hearing Hamilton was disqualified and Trulli reinstated.

McLaren are also accused of ordering Hamilton to support and confirm that statement to the stewards.

"McLaren acknowledge receipt of an invitation to appear at an FIA world motor sport council meeting in Paris on 29 April, received this afternoon," said a McLaren statement.

"We undertake to cooperate fully with all WMSC processes and ­welcome the opportunity to work with the FIA in the best interests of formula one."

The FIA said in a statement that McLaren would also answer to charges that they made no attempt to rectify the situation either by contacting the FIA or otherwise.

It said on 2 April the McLaren team, at the second hearing before the stewards of the Australian grand prix in Malaysia, made no attempt to correct the untrue ­statement of 29 March but, on the ­contrary, continued to maintain the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a ­recording of the team instructing ­Hamilton to let Trulli past and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct the false statement.

The FIA also accused McLaren of ­getting Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the ­stewards on 29 March at the second hearing, while knowing what he was saying to the ­stewards was not true.